The Eagle Huntress follows Aisholpan, a 13-year-old girl, as she trains to become the first female eagle hunter in 12 generations of her Kazakh family. Eagle hunting is a tradition that has been passed down in Mongolia for centuries and practiced almost exclusively by men. Hunters capture, raise, and train Golden Eagles, one of nature’s fiercest birds of prey, to hunt foxes high in the mountains of Mongolia in 40-below-zero temperatures. Eagle hunters are also artists, crafting their own intricately decorated equipment from wood, leather, and needlework.
After months of training with her father’s Golden Eagle, Aisholpan must ascend a mountain to retrieve her own baby eagle to raise and train. Set in the breathtaking landscapes of the Mongolian steppe, the film captures the beauty of this long-held tradition and Aisholpan’s moving story of determination and bravery as she ultimately competes against 70 of the most accomplished Kazakh eagle hunters. This film is rated G (2016, 101 min.).
This film is part of Late Nights at the Dallas Museum of Art.